O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
O Lord, to thee will I cry. Joel here interposes. Since this people is insensible to shame or fear, and will not hear, I will leave them and address myself directly to thee (cf. Isaiah 15:5, "My heart shall cry out for Moab;" Jeremiah 23:9). The fire - i:e., the parching heat.
Hath devoured the pastures - `grassy places' х nª'owt (H4999)], from a Hebrew root 'to be pleasant' х naawaah (H5115)]. Such places would be selected for 'habitations.' But the English version rendering is better than margin.